An Unlikely Pair
by May Yuki
Summary: Two competitors of the Vytal Festival Tournament have a hard time sleeping and decide to explore the campus at night. What happens when they run into each other? *inspired by fanart on tumblr*
1. Insomnia

**I saw a fanart and next thing I know, I'm curled up in a fetal position and shipping the hell out of this** _ **and I don't know whyyyy**_ **. Whoops. ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ And yeah, this is part of my (hopefully not long) attempt to recover my self-confidence in writing.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Damn it. It's hurting again. May rolls around in her bed, hoping the discomfort would pass. She applies slight pressure to her eye. After lying there for a few minutes and realizing that the throbbing pain isn't going away any time soon, she lets out a groan and slowly pushes herself up from her bed. Glancing to the right, she notes that her teammates are all snoring away, completely unaware of her issue.

She _could_ wake up her partner, Nolan, but…no. Waking up Nolan isn't going to help. She'd just be depriving him of his rest as he would try to distract her from the pain. Plus, they might accidentally wake up Brawnz and Roy. And she _definitely_ doesn't want a repeat of last time, especially with the Vytal Festival Tournament happening tomorrow. They'll need all the energy they can get.

Letting out a small sigh, she tosses the blankets off of her and gropes around for her beanie. Once she finds it, she puts it on, tilting it and double-checking to make sure it's covering her left eye.

She slips out of her bed, careful to not awaken her teammates. Shivering, she pulls on her red and white hoodie and wraps her large black scarf around her neck. The nights are beginning to cool down as it slowly transitions to winter and Beacon Academy is no exception to the cold. Slowly turning the knob, she quietly pulls it open and sneaks out of the room. She gently closes the door behind her and heads down the hallway. Hopefully, there's no one else around.

* * *

It's tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the first day of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Reese rubs her face aggressively, wondering why it's taking so long for her to sleep. Staring up at the wall for another heartbeat, Reese finally launches off the bed without warning, tripping on her blanket in the process.

She lets out a small yelp of surprise as she falls flat on her face. She holds her breath, waiting for Arslan to wake up and scold her.

The last time she had done this, she even somehow rolled and crashed into the door. When she had slammed into it, Nadir instinctively jumped out of his bed and stumbled onto the ground…which then resulted in Bolin tripping on his body and falling atop him. By the time Reese had found her way out of her blanket, Arslan was holding up both boys and glaring daggers at her.

The rest of that night was fun…

Counting down in her head, she visibly relaxes, knowing that Arslan and the others are fast asleep. She _really_ needs to stop jumping out of her bed like this…

Rolling herself out of her blankets, she stands up, looking for her hoverboard and her navy-colored hooded sweater. Once located, she puts on the sweater and grabs her elbow and knee pads from the table. She slips into her sneakers and turns on her hoverboard, which lets out a small hum as it warms up. As she waits for it to warm up, she rolls her blanket up into a large ball and lobs it onto her bed. She straps on her padding and pulls up the hood of her sweater, careful not to mess up her hair.

She opens the window, momentarily stumbling backwards as a harsh breeze blows into her face. Shaking it off, she hops onto her hoverboard and flies out of the open window. She absent-mindedly wonders if she'll run into anyone while she's exploring the campus.

* * *

 **I might be working on the 2** **nd** **chapter tomorrow during class or while I'm watching** _ **Gotham**_ **at night :3c I normally work on stories over the weekend as I'm watching LCS (League of Legends stuff), but there's a hiatus next week so I have no promises when the next chapter will be. The good news (?) is that I don't see this story going past 4 chapters.**

 **Special credits go to chitaistalker (I'm sorry if I spelled your name wrong) on Tumblr for their artwork of this ship because that's what inspired me to write this :p**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please review!**


	2. A Chance Encounter

**Someone on the RWBY subreddit (mewtwo15026) suggested the ship name** "360 No Scope" **and I just like that term in general xD so I'm gonna use that as the new ship name (and MayReese when/if I forget) On tumblr, I might keep it as MayReese because tagging it as 360 No Scope might incur the wrath of some FPS players/make it difficult to track…unless we use the tag "RWBY 360 No Scope"…Hmm.**

 **Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

May darts back and forth between the trees in front of the campus, hoping this will exhaust her. Sweat begins to pour down her face and she wipes at it roughly with the sleeve of her hoodie. She stops in front of the largest tree in the area, slowing down her breathing and bounces on her toes.

She closes her eye for a second before opening it again, sprinting towards the tree. She runs up the trunk and hops up to one of the higher branches, unaffected by the leaves and twigs digging into her body. Bringing up an imaginary sniper rifle, she takes aim at an imaginary adversary and imitates taking a shot.

Dropping her hands, she leans back against the trunk. She wipes away the sweat again, letting out wisps of air. May shuts her eye for a second, taking in the stillness of the area. The cool breeze rustles the leaves, also causing her to shiver slightly. In hindsight, it might have been a better idea to have dressed a _bit_ warmer. Then again, Vacuo isn't well known for a cold environment. Shivering again, she curls up and rubs her hands up and down her arms. It doesn't look like she'll be tiring out any time soon.

A humming sound passes overhead, causing her to stiffen reflexively. She scans the area for cover, waiting to see if the noise is getting closer. Deciding that the coast is clear, she slowly stands up and climbs upwards to the thicker parts of the tree. Reaching up, she grabs onto a low-hanging branch.

Unfortunately, it snaps just as she is beginning to pull herself up. She lets out a curse as she tries to regain her balance. The humming sound is suddenly louder and she freezes, pressing her body against the trunk and hoping that whoever or whatever it is doesn't notice her. She slows down her breathing to try and locate the sound. Realizing where it is, she glances down to see a figure… _floating_? No. They're on…something. Crap. What should she do? If it's one of the professors from Beacon, this could be extremely bad for her team and Shade Academy. She doubts other students would be out now at this time so it has to be a professor. A part of her prays that it isn't the blonde professor with the riding crop. She'd probably punish everyone just because of her. She shakes her head to try and rid that thought from her head.

She'll have to try and get down from the tree without getting caught. Then she'll have to make a break for it.

* * *

Ok…maybe it _was_ a bad idea to be out here at night. Reese shivers, despite wearing three layers. She tightens her hood slightly and rubs her arms. At least the wind isn't super dry like Mistral's, but it's still pretty chilly.

Swerving to the side to position herself, she slips between two tree branches. Righting herself, she continues through the branches, keeping a straight path. Using the branches as practice, she forces herself to keep sole focus on the branches in front of her.

Coming towards a mass of branches, she smirks, ever so slightly excited for the challenge. She even urges her hoverboard to go a bit faster as she bends her knees in anticipation. Right before her board collides, she swings her legs up and skims the branches, splinters flying off. She exits the tree, a small branch attached to her shoulder. She peels it off and tosses it away as she flies towards a much bigger tree.

The wind picks up slightly, reminding her that she _really_ shouldn't be out here for much longer. "Just one last obstacle course…" she promises herself as she circles around, examining it carefully. Once her observations are done, she chooses a starting point and prepares herself…when she suddenly hears a snap on the other side.

Curious, she heads for the source. She scans the interior of the tree when she spots a figure trying to move. Worry sets in as Reese starts to panic.

Why are they up there? How'd they end up there? Are they stuck? Should she go get someone to help? Maybe she _should_ wake up Arslan and have her help her rescue this person. Which school is she from, though? If she's from another school, she doubts Arslan would be willing to help. Maybe Nadir or Bolin would be willing to help? But what if- Her rapid-fire internal debate stops when she notices the figure start to move, trying to descend. So, she calls out to them.

* * *

"Um…do you need help?" they ask. The question throws her off for a second; she hadn't been expecting that. She had been expecting a professor, but the voice doesn't carry the same sternness as a professor. Regardless, May doesn't respond, trying to find a branch close by to help in her descent. This person might try to turn her in if she talks to them. "Hey…" The person continues trying to get her attention, but she does her best to ignore them. If she's not careful… "Hey!"

She ducks her head down towards the person, the pestering starting to annoy her. Distracted by her attempt to stop the person, she hadn't noticed that she was a few inches off from the tree branch. "Shoot-" Her heart rushes up her throat as she free falls.

"Whoa!" May hears the humming intensify as she braces herself for impact. Brawnz is gonna kill her. She lands on something…softer…than she had expected, but she doesn't have long to determine what it is before she hears the person scream as well. Next thing she knows, she's tumbling along the ground with someone else. Something bounces off to the side with a clatter as the pair come to a stop. She blinks, trying to reorient herself when her she feels pressure on her chest.

Wait…She opens her eye, about ready to push off the person when she makes eye contact with them. The basil-colored eyes, full of concern but a faint glint of mischief twinkling in the back, scan her face to see if she's bleeding anywhere. Some strands of the girl's light-green hair are nearly touching her face as the girl bends down to examine her closely. Her face starts burning, despite the cold, when she remembers where one of the girl's hands are. "Um…"

She looks downwards, redirecting the girl's attention. She lets out a gasp, pulling her hand off May's chest and pushes herself off. Her face is just as, if not more, red as May's. "C-crap, s-sorry about that! I was just, uh, exploring the campus 'cuz I couldn't sleep! And then I was goin' by that tree…" she gestures to the tree behind her, "…when I heard a snap! I wanted to make sure it wasn't anybody, but then I saw you." The girl rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "You looked like you were gonna fall so I wanted to help you, but…"

May barely registers anything the girl is saying, openly gawking at her. Has she ever seen this girl anywhere before? Is she even a student at Shade? Or Beacon? The girl notices May's intense gaze and nervously looks away, trying to figure out what to say. "Um…" May begins, trying to find her voice. Why is it so hard to speak up? Keep it together, May! "What school are you from?" Real _freaking_ smooth, May Zedong. Of all the things she could've asked…

"Oh, I'm from Haven Academy! I've never seen you at my school before so I guess you're from Beacon?" she replies without missing a beat.

May's jaw moves, but she's still struggling to form words. "Shade Academy," she answers succinctly. Damn it, the girl probably thinks she's rude. It's not often she interacts with anyone outside of her team – hell, she barely even talks that much with her team. But it's not like she can help it. She's always been an introvert, even before the accident. The mere thought of the accident sends a pulsation of pain and she reflexively curls up, her left hand instantly on her eye.

She grits her teeth as she hisses in pain, noting the shocked look on the Haven student. "Hey, are you okay? Should I go get your teammates or-?"

"N…no, the pain…will pass…" she mutters, shaking her head in case the student didn't hear her. Normally it doesn't hurt _this badly_. Amidst the pain, she senses the student's presence right next to her.

"A-are you sure? I can carry you to the infirmary," she offers. May slowly breathes in and out, feeling the pain finally subside. Once she's sure it's gone, she relaxes and opens her eye. The student looks on worriedly, ready to help her if the pain does come back.

"I'm fine now…" May whispers quietly, pulling up her scarf to hide the creeping blush. She also pulls down her beanie ever so slightly to prevent the student from seeing her ears reddening as well. She slowly stands up, the student standing up with her as well. She offhandedly notes that the student is slightly taller than her.

She starts walking away from the student when she calls out to her. "Hey! Wait up!" Despite her strong urge to keep walking, something about the girl's request forces her to comply. The humming comes back and she almost jumps when the student appears in front of her. She glances down and realizes that the source the whole time had been a hoverboard. "Lemme guess, you couldn't sleep because of the pain?"

May is surprised that she had guessed correctly; then again, it is rather obvious. She nods once. "The same to you?"

The girl shakes her head, "Nah, just really nervous about the tournament tomorrow. I was out here to try and clear my head…We both know what happened afterwards." She chuckles slightly, causing May's stomach to suddenly have butterflies in her stomach. Suddenly, the sound of that girl's laughter is the only thing that matters to her. She'd do anything to make her laugh like that again. The girl notices that she doesn't seem to be responding. "Hey, you're spacing out on me again…Oh! I know, wanna go to the top of one of the towers?" She points towards the neighboring spires of the Beacon tower.

"J-just the two of us?"

"Why not? I was planning on it after I finished my little impromptu training with the trees. I was hoping some stargazing would help me fall asleep."

"I…I'm not sure if we're allowed to…They might have security there."

"Oh…you're right." The girl's excited expression changes to a rather dejected one and May desperately tries to think of a solution. It hurt her physically and emotionally just looking at that expression.

"…How about…" She spots the aqueducts, hesitating for a brief moment.

"The aqueducts!" The student exclaims, the cheerful expression now back on her face. The hoverboard hums for a moment as it slowly rises. The student extends a hand out to May, urging her silently to join her. "Do you trust me?" The lopsided smirk and the mischievous glint in her eyes are both alluring and a warning that they might not be returning to their rooms anytime soon…and yet…

May finds herself placing her hand into the student's. "Yes…" The student pulls her up and the hoverboard almost whines in response of the extra weight.

"You might wanna hold on tight. If you're not used to this, you might fall off," she warns May. As the hoverboard rises more and more, May finds herself clinging tighter and tighter to the girl, closing her eye so she doesn't have to look down.

Once reaching the same altitude as the aqueducts, the student directs the hoverboard towards it, not really noticing the speed. May tightens her grip even more – if it's even possible – and buries her face into the student's shoulder. She skims over the water, the vapor spraying onto both passengers. May just presses her body closer to the student's, her heart ready to leap out of her chest.

Soon, the student lands at the edge, laughing happily. She helps May down first before getting off herself. Her cheeky grin only grows wider when she notices May's fearful expression. She turns off the hoverboard and sits down on the edge, her feet dangling over the ledge. "C'mon! Sit down next to me!" She pats the spot next to her as her eyes practically beg May to come.

Once her heart rate has slowed, May walks towards the student and carefully sits down, her hands fidgeting as she tries to think of something to say. She spares a glance over to the student, suddenly realizing she doesn't even know the girl's name! "Um…" The student immediately turns to her, sending her stomach aflutter yet again. Her heart skips a beat as she tries to remember what she wanted to say. "I…just realized…we never…exchanged names. I'm…May Zedong." The student blinks before her face suddenly reddens. She abruptly grabs the hood of her sweater and pulls it down over her face, shaking. May is unsure of what to do, but she presses her lips together to try and stifle her laughter. "What's wrong?" she asks, a small chuckle slipping out.

"N…nothing…" the student mumbles, her entire face hidden by her hood. It seems as if she didn't notice May's laugh. She takes a deep breath before readjusting her hoodie. She turns back to May, her face completely red and answers, "I'm Reese…Reese Chloris." Reese looks away for a moment before turning back to May again. "I'm from Haven Academy; although, I told you that earlier…I'm on Team ABRN and my partner's this dude with pink hair and our leader's this super strong girl. Believe me, she'd completely destroy you…" Reese pauses for a moment, realizing the implications. "A-although, I'm pretty sure you're just as strong as her and…um…" Reese sighs, suddenly not knowing what to say.

May giggles and Reese stares at her in awe, as if this is the first time she's really seeing her. "My team is Team BRNZ and I'm the only girl on the team."

"What, really? What's that like?"

"It isn't too bad. They all respect my space and our leader, Brawnz, always builds the strategy around covering me."

Reese tilts her head, "Covering you? Why, because you can't handle the weather or something?"

May smiles. "No, I'm the long-range fighter on our team. Normally, I would fall back and focus on openings my team makes and then…Bang. I snipe them."

"Man, I'd _hate_ to go against your team," Reese comments, looking up at the sky to think of another topic. "By the way, is your team okay with you out and about right now?"

"I could say the same to you," May pouts, puffing out one of her cheeks. Reese coughs into her fist, trying to focus on something _other_ than May's face. "But no, they don't. I didn't want to bother my partner nor my team in general."

"Are you talking about…?" Reese gestures at her left eye. May nods again.

"Most of the time, the pain is bearable when it comes. But there are some instances where it's so bad that I can't fall asleep. Normally, I'd wake up Nolan – my partner – and he'd either read something or just talk until I fall asleep. Sometimes, I'd wake up Brawnz or Roy, but tonight was different."

"Because of the tournament tomorrow."

"Yes, I didn't want to bother them. They needed their rest and I was hoping some exercise around the trees would help. But…"

"…If you don't mind my asking…what happened with…?" May looks away, signaling to Reese that it's a sore subject. "S-sorry, I shouldn't be asking you. It's pretty perso-"

"It was an accident during a simple mission during primary combat school…" May answers. "I'm still not sure what happened…all I remember was a pack of Beowulves…fire…screams…and then pain on my eye." She closes her eye and shivers as her mind blocks out the memory again. Reese hesitantly wraps her arms around the sniper as May slowly stops shaking. She buries herself against Reese's chest and continues the story, her voice slightly muffled by Reese's sweater. "When I came to, they said we had stumbled into a territorial fight between two packs of Beowulves and…that I was lucky I got away with just an injury. My partner at that time sustained severe injuries and wasn't allowed to train to be a Hunter anymore."

Reese tightens the hug, hoping that it would comfort her. May pushes herself out and Reese begins to regret having asked. "M…May, I'm…"

"You can…if you want…" May offers.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't wanna force you to show me," Reese explains.

"I trust you." The fact that May said it so resolutely made Reese hesitate even more. Why? Why does someone who she had just met trust her this much already? Reese reaches out, giving May one last chance to back out. Noticing her hesitation, May grabs Reese's hand and bows her head, placing Reese's hand on the beanie. Releasing her hold on the Haven student's hand, she waits for Reese. Reese waits for one more heartbeat before she slowly pulls it up, her eyes slowly widening as she takes in the extent of the injury.

Where there should be another stormy-blue iris looking back at her is an opaque husk that stares back at her. Near the eyelids seem to be the most affected from the accident, parts of it puffy and the coloration was much darker compared to the outer parts of the scar. The outer parts aren't as severely burned as the area around her eye, most likely where most of the damage had been done.

Reese feels her heart twist in pain as she continues to gape, taking in every last detail of not just the injury, but May as well. To her, the scar does nothing to mar the beauty of the student in front of her. In fact, it just adds more to the mystery that is May Zedong. Reese can tell that she wants to know more about her. She wants to learn everything she can and understand this mysterious sniper from Shade Academy.

"Reese?" she begins, unsure of her silence. Something snaps in Reese's head as a small blush reappears on her face.

Reese slowly leans forward, expecting May to pull back. But she doesn't. Instead, it appears that May is _waiting_. Taking that as approval, Reese tilts May's head upwards as Reese moves closer still. She is inches away from May, anticipating her to pull away and pauses again.

May, apparently fed up with waiting, pushes her head upwards and her lips collide with Reese in a kiss. The moment their lips made contact, everything else fades away. Nothing else matters except the other. There is no Vytal Festival Tournament, there are no rivalries, _nothing_ …except each other.

* * *

 ***crawls into hole to die of shame* Let me tell you, it feels weird to be writing about a May for this story and** _ **not**_ **think of my OC from my middle and high school days. *sighs* And holy crap, I ended up making this chapter** _ **a lot**_ **longer than I had planned…oops. The kiss even happened earlier than I had anticipated, but I couldn't stop it. My fingers just typed up the words and next thing I know, instead of them falling asleep on the aqueduct while talking (which was the original plan), they be kissin'.**

 **The story is most likely going to end in the next chapter...But we will see xD**

 **IMPORTANT: I'm still not sure what May's injury really is, but I showed the fanart to my brother and he said it looked like a burn scar. If it's wrong or if someone else has a reasonable explanation, please,** **please** **let me know and I'll fix it.**

 **If you enjoyed it, please review!**


	3. An Unlikely Pair

**Sorry this chapter's a bit later than I had planned. Been busy with classes and life's been smacking me around this past week…again. But, I told myself I would finish this before I gave up on it since I'm pretty bad at finishing stories in general.**

 **Well, on with the story!**

* * *

Reese probably would have fallen off the aqueduct if May hadn't been clinging to her. Normally, Reese would be the last one awake on her team, but today…Maybe it's because her right side's hurting from having been in this position for the last few hours.

She opens her eyes, the first thing she sees is the black beanie of her new…friend? Girlfriend? She's not even sure if that kiss was supposed to _mean something_. It had been so spontaneous that Reese is still insisting that it had just been a sleep-deprived hallucination on her part. She glances down at the peacefully sleeping May Zedong and she can't help but smile. It seems that the pain hasn't bothered her since last night.

The two of them talked for a little bit after the kiss and ended up falling asleep as they watched the stars. They never once discussed a potential relationship or even what the kiss could have meant. At some point, Reese guesses they had subconsciously ended up cuddling to keep each other warm.

In the distance, a bell tolls and she lies there, counting the number of times the bell is struck. Her heart jumps into her throat when she counts seven.

She shoots up, almost pulling May up with her. Frantically looking around, she can see some students begin to mill around. Crap! Her team must be awake by now too! "What's…wrong?" May asks, still not fully awake.

"What time were we supposed to meet in the Coliseum?" Reese asks, beginning to panic.

"Um…we're supposed to check in at the ships at least by 8." May pauses, fully alert when she realizes the implications. She shoots up as well. "What time is it?"

"It's seven. We gotta get back to our teams, c'mon!" Reese activates her hoverboard and hops on, May right behind her. "I'll drop you off at your dorm first, just show me where it is!" The pair fly overhead the early birds wandering around at the plaza, hoping that their teammates haven't woken up yet. A realization dawns on Reese as May directs her to Shade Academy's section of the transfer student dormitory. "What if the window isn't open?"

"Nolan usually opens the windows in the morning to wake up Brawnz and Roy," May answers, still burying her head into the Haven student's shoulder. Sure enough, at the very end of the dormitory, there is a window wide open. "You can drop me off next to the window so they don't see you."

"Are you sure?" Reese glances back. May nods, pulling the beanie down nervously. Descending, Reese stops about a foot from the window and helps May onto the ledge, not letting go until the sniper is firmly on the concrete. Once she releases her, May starts crawling along the wall and prepares to hop into the room.

Right as Reese starts to leave, May spares one last glance to her, smiling and mouthing, "Thank you." With that, she slips into her room and elicits screams of surprise from her teammates.

Reese chuckles to herself as she heads back to her room.

* * *

"Where were you?!" Brawnz is instantly on her, clearly agitated. Nolan helps her down from the window ledge as Brawnz waits with his arms crossed, waiting for her answer. Roy is sitting on his bed, half examining his weapons and half listening in on the conversation.

"I couldn't sleep," May replies matter-of-factly. She walks past Brawnz to her bed, bending down and pulling out a case. Opening it, she pulls out her sniper rifle and inspects all of its parts, completely unconcerned with Brawnz's agitation.

"And you decided to just disappear for the entire night? You could've gotten sick! You could've gotten punished! Hell, what if another student from another school saw you? If it was a Beacon kid, they probably would've turned you in. I bet an Atlas would've done the same. A Haven student probably would've taken advanta-"

"Brawnz." His mouth instinctively clamps shut. "I'm here right now, aren't I? And the fact that our team isn't being punished is a sign that we're all okay. Now please let me check my rifle; we might be fighting today." May's sudden cold demeanor sends a chill down Brawnz's spine as he grits his teeth.

"Just leave her be, Brawnz. We have to head down to the ships soon and there's no point in arguing," Nolan speaks up as he heads out to change.

Brawnz glares at his teammate, scoffing before turning back to his bed. Reese ignores Brawnz's temper, focusing on her weapon instead. She hopes that Reese isn't in that much trouble.

* * *

Reese bends slightly as she enters her team's room, the three of them barely registering her appearance. "I heard you leave last night," Arslan explains without even glancing in her direction.

"Couldn't sleep?" Bolin asks, taking an experimental twirl of his staff. Reese hops off her hoverboard to let it cool off as she pulls out both her Atlas uniform and her battle outfit.

"Yeah, was too excited," Reese answers, internally debating on whether she should fix up her hair. Eh...she might be fighting today so no point in doing that. If anything, she'll fix it up after the match. But then, she _does_ kinda wanna show herself to May…did that thought really just cross her mind?

"Reese?" She jumps when she hears someone call her name. She turns back to her teammates, a blush starting to blossom on her face yet again. When was the last time she had blushed this much in such a short amount of time? She rubs her cheeks when she remembers that one of her teammates had called to her.

"What's up?"

"Are you okay? You've been acting a little…I don't know…off," Nadir comments. Reese notices that Bolin and Arslan are also looking at her curiously as if she's a specimen they're studying.

"O-of course I'm fine! What makes you think otherwise?"

"You flew in here humming and your fingers are running over your lips right now."

Reese blinks, now realizing what she had been doing. She nervously rubs the back of her head. "Was I really?"

"We all saw it, Reese. What happened last night?" Arslan asks, waiting for her teammate to answer.

Should she tell them? Or should she lie? Would they be okay with her being in a relationship…is she _even in a relationship_? Before she can even figure out what to say, help comes from an unexpected source.

"Attention, students! The ships will be leaving in fifteen minutes! Please check in like most of you were supposed to _fifteen minutes ago_!" A professor announces over the intercoms outside.

"Well! We don't wanna be late, so I'm gonna go change and then I'll meet you guys at the ships! 'Kay, bye!" Reese bounces into the restroom before her teammates can protest, knowing that they would be at the ships and waiting for her. She stares at her two outfits, deciding to wear her battle outfit and to place her Haven uniform in her locker along with her hoverboard.

* * *

Reese exhales, glad that she had come to the coliseum in her battle outfit. Once they arrived, the two professors in charge of casting the tournament displayed the bracketing for the first round and she learned that she would be the third match of the day.

She hops up and down on her toes, waiting outside of the Haven locker room for her teammates. One of the rules for the tournament is that while a pair of teams are fighting, the following teams slotted to battle afterwards must head to the locker rooms to prepare which sucks, in Reese's opinion, because she had wanted to see the battle before her. But it doesn't seem to be _that_ enforced. She _just_ saw her opponents enter the Beacon Academy's locker room, after all.

Before they headed to the locker room, the team had decided that they would try to split their opponents up to prevent them from working together. Reese resists the temptation to go into the Beacon locker room and try to eavesdrop, deciding to check over her hoverboard once more. She carefully inspects the dust slot to make sure it's clean and accessible if it's needed later. Distracted by her examination, she doesn't hear the footsteps behind her until the person is almost breathing down her neck.

She leaps away, her heart racing faster than her on her hoverboard. Making eye contact with the culprit doesn't help. "What are you doing here, May? …Wait how'd you even get past the Atlesian Knights?"

"Slipping in and out of places like this is nothing. I'm a sniper, remember? I have to be able to do this kind of thing," she answers, now about two feet away from Reese.

"But if you're caught…" Reese trails off, her voice refusing to finish the sentence.

"You have such little faith in me," May pouts. Reese can feel her internal temperature increase rapidly as she glances to the locker room entrance. What's taking them so long?

"Okay, fine, what are you doing here?" Reese asks when she realizes that her teammates won't be coming out anytime soon. The universe has to be working against her…is it though? May doesn't answer, only walking closer and closer to Reese. "Um…May?"

May gives Reese a peck on the cheek and every last bit of sanity flees from Reese's mind. Her face immediately reddens and she freezes up, completely shell-shocked as her mind tries to register what just happened. She hears, rather than sees, her teammates exiting the locker room as May pulls away.

"Just wanted to wish you luck," she teases, winking.

* * *

May slides into her seat, next to Nolan. "Where'd you go off to?"

"Restroom."

"That was pretty long for a-"

"Team RWBY of Beacon vs. Team ABRN of Haven!" One of the professor announces, ending the conversation. May can feel herself slowly inching forward, her eye searching for Reese. The girl in question is already on her hoverboard, appearing poised and ready to anyone not paying attention. To May, Reese looks like a bundle of unreleased energy waiting to explode. Hopefully, it'll be beneficial to her fight.

"3!" Reese pulls back ever so slightly; whether it's part of a plan or not, May isn't sure.

"2!" May tightens her grip on her seat.

"1! Begin!" The battle erupts immediately.

* * *

Reese sighs angrily, leaning against her locker. She replays her one-on-one fight against her opponent over and over in her mind. Normally, she wouldn't have fallen for something like that. Why? Why did she think her opponent would just stand there, waiting for her?

She runs her hands through her hair, letting out a growl of frustration. Did she just get too cocky? Did she underestimate her opponents? Arslan _trusted her_ to fight that girl and she failed...epically.

She hears footsteps near her and she buries her head in her hands, not daring to face her team right now. She had failed so badly in that fight and it costed them the game. All she could do as the blonde girl was launched towards her team…was sit there and watch. She can't face her teammates right now. Not when she was the reason why they lost. If she had just…If she had just _focused_ …

"Hey…Reese, we're heading out to the fairgrounds if you wanna go…?" Bolin asks. Reese shakes her head once, hoping they don't try to bring her along. She can feel Bolin glance back to their teammates, who probably only shrug in response. "Well…we're probably gonna be watching the next match while we're at the fairgrounds. Unless you want one of us to head back with you to the dorm?" Still no response, signaling to the three that she'd rather be alone. As they walk away, Bolin turns to Nadir and Arslan, "Who's up next again?"

"I think…one of the Beacon teams, but I don't remember their opponents."

"A Shade Academy team," Arslan answers and Reese's head shoots up immediately.

"Think they're prepping?" Nadir asks as Reese slowly walks to the door, her teammates' conversation slowly fading. She has to find…her.

"I think I saw all of them going out to the fairgrounds." Right as Arslan answers, crackling can be heard from the intercom.

"Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately?"

"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, _several minutes ago_!"

Reese slowly slides against the wall, inching closer to the exit and stops when she still sees her teammates outside. "Good luck," Arslan comments.

"You guys think you're gonna win?" Bolin asks.

"Probably, as long as we follow the strategy we planned out."

"Do you have backup plans?"

"Our plan works pretty well as it is, especially if the biomes give us a forest setting. It'll help our sniper a bunch." Reese grimaces once she makes the connection.

"Well, good luck and play smart," Bolin reminds them as the three of them leave. Reese exits the door, her heart nearly stopping when she sees a certain someone leaning against the wall in front of her…right next to her academy's designated locker room.

"…What do you want?" Reese asks, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"I was worried about you," May comments, still casually leaning against the wall. Reese feels anger boiling up inside of her. If she had just concentrated on the fight, instead of trying to…what? Impress May? Maybe they would have won! It's her fault! If she hadn't ran into her last night…"Hey are you okay?"

Reese doesn't respond, only gritting her teeth and running away, ignoring May. Only one thought is going through her mind as she tries to distance herself: If she hadn't been so focused on that kiss, they would've won.

* * *

"Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!" the professor announces as Reese lingers in the wings. She leans back against the wall, closing her eyes as a multitude of emotions wash over her. Disappointment. Shame. Anger.

"3!" She's disappointed in herself for having fallen for such a trick.

"2!" She's ashamed that she had let down her teammates.

"1!" Anger for being distracted about something else in the midst of battle.

She doesn't want to blame May for being the reason why they had lost, but… "Begin!" She closes her eyes as May and her teammates begin their fight. Why are crushes so hard to deal with?

* * *

May is the first one to leave the infirmary, wanting to speak to Reese. She has to admit, her head wasn't completely on the fight. To be fair, she _was_ still able to remember the battle plan Brawnz had devised and yet...

While she waited in the tree for her opportunity, her thoughts would keep coming back to Reese. Was that why she had failed her shot on the Nora girl? Or was it just because their team was better? May scowls, looking down, as she walks through the hallways of Beacon. They had the fight in the bag! She normally would have dispatched her targets without hesitation…and yet, when she had that shot…she had frozen for a split second. That split second had been what costed them the victory, probably.

Overall, her shots were going awry. All of the shots she made today just would not go where she wanted them to. Maybe Reese was starting to have adverse effects on her…

She just wanted to wish her new friend good luck; then again, she's not even sure where they stand in their relationship. Even now, she doesn't know what compelled her to kiss Reese on the cheek, let alone what happened last night.

She'll have to meet up with Reese and resolve this issue…before it gets out of hand. But would Reese even want to talk to her? Hell, she might run for it again if she even sees a hair of May. She sighs; she's just making this harder than it has to be.

She looks up, resolute. Even if Reese makes a run for it again, she's won't let her. Worst case scenario, they don't talk to each other ever again.

…Why does that thought make May so sick to her stomach?

* * *

Reese slowly flies through the darkened plaza on her hoverboard, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts. Despite her self-loathing, she did watch bits of the match from her spot. The battle looked like it was going to go BRNZ's way…until that odd argument amongst Team JNPR. On her way out, Reese had heard some spectators speculating whether or not that argument had been intended to throw off their opponents.

It was strange, to be honest. At first glance, most would assume that BRNZ would defeat JNPR even though they did have one of the best fighters on Remnant on their team. After all, her teammates didn't seem that strong…especially the blonde boy.

Reese has to admit that the girl with the hammer proved everyone wrong with her quadruple KO that ended the fight. Even now, she wants to check up on the sniper. But considering how their last meeting had turned out with her running away…would May even want to talk to her?

No, even if May won't face her, they need to have this talk. Everything would be so much better if they just talked and figured out their feelings.

She looks up from her thoughts. This…is where she met May…right? She's pretty sure this is the right tree. Soon enough, she hears faint rustling in the branches. Looking up, she sees the sniper slowly moving down towards her.

As May gets lower and lower, Reese can feel her heart pounding loudly. Her instincts tell her to leave, but she forces herself to stay as May lands on the ground. The two of them stand there in complete and awkward silence, not a single soul in the area. Neither of them make eye contact with one another as May is suddenly interested in the cobblestones before her and Reese is staring intensely at the tree behind May.

Reese bites the inside of her cheek, deciding to initiate the conver- "Guess we were both pretty unlucky today…" May begins, ending Reese's attempt.

Reese stands there silently until she finally registers what May had said. "Uh…oh! Yeah…that was some really crummy matchups." Reese rubs the back of her head nervously. "I just…couldn't get my head in the game either. I don't know why, but I felt pretty distracted during the entire fight…"

"You too?" May asks, still looking at the ground. "We could've won so easily…"

"I say that argument threw you guys off. You dropped your guards the minute they stopped fighting which let them-"

"Kinda like how you thought the Blake girl would really just stand there?" Reese cringes, simultaneously sighing with May. "Look at us. We're completely ignoring the elephant in the room and expecting the other to just start the topic."

"Well, I won't run this time," Reese comments. "Look, why don't we head up to the aqueduct and talk there?"

May contemplates the offer before nodding. "Okay."

* * *

"What are we, exactly?" Reese begins, once she and May are situated. She is leaning back with her hands planted behind her as she looks up at the stars.

"We were two competitors participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament until we lost today to two of the strongest first-year teams of Beacon Academy," May replies. Her hands are in her lap as she looks down. "We both couldn't sleep last night and decided to explore the campus in hopes that we'd tire ourselves out."

"And then we ended up running into each other," Reese jumps in, now fully paying attention to the sniper.

"Then we ended up here...and we…kissed." May clenches her fists, closing her eye. "We didn't even talk about it afterwards and just never mentioned it. It's…not fair for either of us to pretend it never happened…or our feelings." She opens her eye and faces Reese, both teenagers suddenly feeling anxious and waiting for the other to speak up again. May's ears start to redden as she looks in the opposite direction for a moment, trying to steel herself. "Wh…what I'm trying to say is…when we met, we were complete and total strangers. We had nothing in common except for the fact that we were competitors in a biennial event. Then, circumstances brought us together and honestly, it felt like all the pain just went away when I met you." May exhales, suddenly hesitant again. "Reese…what I'm trying to say is…"

Reese stops her there, grabbing the front of her jacket to pull her closer and leans in to kiss the Shade student for the second time. Surprised at first, May soon reciprocates when she feels Reese's tongue hesitantly asking for entry. Unlike the first time, both of them are less shy, their tongues clashing against each other.

Reese is the first to reluctantly pull away, her cheeks flushed. At some point during the kiss, May's beanie had been pushed up, revealing the scarred eye once more. "Reese…"

The girl in question responds by giving her a quick peck on the lips and an embrace. "I like you too."

May's eyes widen in disbelief before she returns the embrace, leaning on Reese's shoulder. "Who would've thought two students from two different schools would have gotten together?" May closes her eyes, quietly taking in her surroundings. "We're a pretty unlikely pair, aren't we?"

Reese chuckles, "We sure are."

* * *

 **Brb flinging myself off a cliff.**

 **Disclaimer: I have** _ **never**_ **written a romantic scene like this before. This is my** _ **first**_ **time doing this and if it made you cringe, don't worry, I cringed too. I had to rewrite this chapter so many times because I was unhappy with how it developed…**

 **But at the same time, I'm proud of myself for finishing this. This was my first story where I actually completed it without waiting a whole freaking year or two… (*looks at** _ **Thanagarian**_ **guiltily*).**

 **I hope you enjoyed** _ **An Unlikely Pair**_ **! It was fun to write for the most part and it helped me regain at least** _ **some**_ **of my writing confidence back. The epilogue will be posted within the night!**


	4. Epilogue

**I will never get over writing a May that isn't my OC.**

* * *

"Come onnnn, take off the beanie!"

"Do I have to?"

"Well, I sure don't want to let all that hard work go to waste!"

"I barely did anything! It was just a few strands…"

"Aw come on…pretty please?" No response. "Pleeeeassssseee?" Still no response. "What, are you regretting having done it?"

"No, it's just…this is the first time I've done something like this. Nolan saw me after I did it and he immediately figured it out."

Reese bursts out laughing, only to be cut short by a playful punch on the shoulder by her girlfriend. She and May are walking through the fairgrounds with their hands intertwined, relaxing after watching the doubles matches for the day. "It's not funny! He started asking me so many questions about you and then Brawnz and Roy overheard so now they know."

"Please tell me you told them about him and…"

"Of course, it's only fair." Reese starts howling with laughter once again and May doesn't stop her, glad that she had forgotten about- "So?" Damn, she spoke too soon.

May sighs again. "Fine."

"All right!" Reese jumps in front of her, beaming. May pulls off the beanie completely while simultaneously moving her hair to cover her scar. Reese cheekily grins when she finally spots the light-green streak of hair on her girlfriend.

May puffs out her cheek as she glares playfully at Reese, whose cheeky grin seems to grow even wider. "Okay, maybe I _am_ just slightly regretting doing it."

Reese responds by kissing her on the forehead. "It's okay, you know you like me."

"Hmph." May rests her head on the Haven student's chest for a moment with a content smile on her face. They may be an unlikely pair, but she's still pretty damn happy they're together.

* * *

 **Just a quick little epilogue of sorts to wrap it up :)**

 **Thanks for reading _An Unlikely Pair_!**


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